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Aisha Abdullah

How to file DE 2063 for Work Sharing/Reduced Earnings with EDD? Form submission confusion

My hours just got cut from 40 to 25 at my graphic design job. My supervisor mentioned I might qualify for partial unemployment through the Work Sharing program and gave me form DE 2063 (Reduced Earnings/Work Sharing Certification). I'm completely lost on what to do with this form! Do I submit it online somewhere? Mail it? Does my employer need to submit it first? I checked all over the EDD website and can't find clear instructions. My supervisor isn't sure either since I'm the first person in our company going through this. Has anyone successfully filed for Work Sharing/Reduced Earnings before? The form is sitting on my desk and I'm afraid of making a mistake and delaying potential benefits.

Your employer should be handling most of this! For Work Sharing (which uses DE 2063), your company needs to be enrolled in the Work Sharing program FIRST before you can submit anything. It's not something you can apply for individually. They need to submit plan application DE 8686 and get approved before any employees can use the DE 2063 forms. If they're not in the program yet, they're giving you the wrong information. Ask HR if they've already been approved for Work Sharing. If not, you should file a regular UI claim instead and report your reduced earnings during certification.

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Thank you for clarifying! I'm going to check with HR tomorrow to see if they've actually enrolled in the Work Sharing program. If they haven't, I'll file a regular claim. I had no idea there was a difference!

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i used work sharing last yr when my restaurants hrs got cut. boss gave us the forms every week, we filld them out with our hrs worked, he signed them and sent them to edd. then we got partial benefits for the missing hrs. your boss needs to handle most of it tho

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Thanks for sharing your experience! So it sounds like my employer should be more involved in this process than they currently are. I'll definitely bring this up with them.

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Work Sharing and Reduced Earnings are actually TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS! This confuses so many people. Work Sharing = Your employer enrolls, you use DE 2063, they submit it for you, you avoid full unemployment Reduced Earnings = You file regular UI claim, certify as normal, report your earnings each week, get partial benefits Sounds like your employer doesn't know the difference either. If they handed you a DE 2063 but aren't enrolled in Work Sharing, they're confused about the programs.

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Oh wow, I had no idea these were completely different programs! The terminology is really confusing. It does sound like my employer might be mixing these up too.

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ya thats right! my boss had to get approved first for work sharing, took like 3 weeks b4 we could use the forms

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If your graphic design company is small, they probably aren't doing Work Sharing. That program has tons of requirements and paperwork for employers. Most small companies just cut hours and tell employees to file regular UI. When I got my hours cut, I just filed online normally, reported my earnings each certification period, and got partial benefits for the lost hours. Much simpler.

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This is correct. The Work Sharing program requires a LOT of employer participation and specific requirements (must affect at least 10% of workforce, must maintain health benefits, etc). Many smaller businesses find it easier to just let employees file regular UI and report their earnings. OP, if your employer isn't sure how to submit the form, that's a big red flag they're probably not enrolled in Work Sharing. Just file a regular UI claim online at edd.ca.gov and report your earnings when you certify every two weeks.

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If you need to call EDD to figure out if your employer is in the Work Sharing program or how to proceed, good luck getting through. When my hours were cut last October, I spent 3 WEEKS trying to reach someone! I finally got through using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they have a system that gets you connected to EDD agents, usually within 10-15 minutes. They have a video demo too: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. It worked for me when I needed to ask about my specific situation with reduced hours. Ended up I could just file regular UI, but needed the agent to update something in my account first.

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Thanks for the suggestion! I'll try asking HR first, but if I need to call EDD, I'll definitely check out this service. The thought of spending weeks trying to get through gives me anxiety!

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EDD makes EVERYTHING unnecessarily complicated!!! Why can't they just have CLEAR instructions on their website??? I bet your employer doesn't even know what program they're trying to use. The whole system is designed to confuse people so they don't get benefits they deserve. I bet half the people who qualify for partial unemployment don't even apply because the process is so confusing!!!

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i know right?? took us forever to figure it out too

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I agree the website could be clearer, but the Work Sharing program actually has a dedicated handbook with detailed instructions: https://edd.ca.gov/siteassets/files/pdf_pub_ctr/de8684.pdf. The issue is that many employers don't read it thoroughly before telling employees about the program.

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My sister-in-law works at EDD and she told me they get this confusion ALL THE TIME. She said if your employer hands you a form but doesn't know how to submit it, 99% chance they're not in the Work Sharing program. File your own UI claim online, don't worry about that form.

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This matches what I've heard too. The Work Sharing program requires a lot of employer preparation and ongoing paperwork. They should be very clear about the process if they're actually enrolled.

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To summarize what everyone's saying: 1. If your employer is enrolled in Work Sharing, they should collect your DE 2063 forms weekly, sign them, and submit them to EDD 2. If they're not enrolled (which seems likely), you should file a regular UI claim and just report your earnings during your bi-weekly certifications 3. Your best next step is to ask HR specifically "Is our company enrolled in the EDD Work Sharing program?" If they say no or seem confused, just file a regular UI claim Hope that helps clear things up!

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This summary is super helpful! I'm going to talk to HR first thing tomorrow. I suspect we're not actually enrolled in Work Sharing based on everyone's responses. I'll likely end up filing a regular UI claim. Thank you all for the guidance!

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Good luck with HR tomorrow! Just wanted to add one more thing - if you do end up filing a regular UI claim, make sure you have documentation of your reduced hours (like recent pay stubs or a letter from your employer). EDD will want to see proof that your hours were cut through no fault of your own. Also, when you certify bi-weekly, be very accurate about reporting your earnings - even being off by a few dollars can cause issues. The system is pretty forgiving for partial unemployment as long as you're honest about what you earned each week.

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Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same confusion! My employer at a small marketing firm handed me the DE 2063 form too, but it turned out they had no idea what they were doing. After all the back-and-forth, I ended up filing a regular UI claim online and it was SO much simpler. One thing I'd add - when you talk to HR tomorrow, if they confirm you're NOT in Work Sharing, don't let them keep that DE 2063 form "just in case." It'll just confuse things later. Go straight to edd.ca.gov and file your initial claim. The online system will walk you through everything, and you'll start certifying for benefits right away instead of waiting around for your employer to figure out a program they're probably not even enrolled in. The partial unemployment process through regular UI is actually pretty straightforward once you get started. You'll get benefits for the hours you lost, and it kicks in much faster than trying to navigate the Work Sharing maze!

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This is exactly the kind of real-world experience I needed to hear! It sounds like trying to force the Work Sharing route when the employer isn't properly enrolled just creates unnecessary delays. I'm definitely leaning toward filing a regular UI claim if HR confirms what I suspect tomorrow. Thanks for the practical advice about not letting them hold onto the form "just in case" - that makes total sense. Better to get the process started right away than wait around hoping they figure out a program they probably don't understand.

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I went through something very similar last year when my hours got cut at a design agency. My manager gave me the same DE 2063 form and had no clue what to do with it either. After reading all these responses, it's clear your employer probably isn't enrolled in Work Sharing - mine wasn't either. Here's what I wish someone had told me from the start: forget the form for now and just file a regular UI claim online. It took me about 20 minutes to complete the initial application at edd.ca.gov. When you get to the part about work history, make sure to mention that your hours were reduced (not that you were laid off). The bi-weekly certification process is really straightforward - you just report how many hours you worked and how much you earned that week. EDD automatically calculates your partial benefits. I was getting about 60% of my lost wages covered, which really helped during that tough period. Don't let your employer's confusion delay your benefits. You can always switch to Work Sharing later if they actually get enrolled in the program, but that could take months. Get your claim started now so you don't miss out on benefits you're entitled to!

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This is such helpful advice! I really appreciate you breaking down the actual process step by step. It sounds like filing a regular UI claim is definitely the way to go given all the uncertainty around whether we're in Work Sharing. The 20-minute online application sounds much more manageable than trying to navigate a program my employer doesn't understand. I'm going to start my claim right after I talk to HR tomorrow - no point in waiting around if they confirm what everyone suspects. Thanks for mentioning the 60% coverage too, that gives me a realistic expectation of what to expect financially.

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I'm a graphic designer too and went through almost the exact same situation last fall! My hours got cut from full-time to part-time and my boss also gave me a DE 2063 form with zero guidance. After weeks of confusion and calling EDD multiple times, I learned that our small agency wasn't enrolled in Work Sharing at all. Here's what I wish I'd known from day one: if your employer can't immediately tell you their EDD Work Sharing approval number and doesn't have a clear weekly submission process in place, they're not in the program. Don't waste time like I did trying to make it work. I ended up filing a regular UI claim online at edd.ca.gov and selecting "reduced work hours" as my reason. The whole application took about 15 minutes, and I started getting partial benefits within two weeks. During bi-weekly certification, I just reported my actual hours worked and gross earnings - EDD automatically calculated my partial benefits to cover about 60% of my lost wages. My advice: forget that DE 2063 form for now and file your regular UI claim today. You can always switch to Work Sharing later if your employer actually gets enrolled (which takes months), but don't miss out on benefits you need right now while waiting for them to figure out a program they clearly don't understand. The regular UI route is honestly much simpler for situations like ours!

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This is so reassuring to hear from another graphic designer who went through the exact same thing! It's crazy how common this situation seems to be with small creative agencies. Your timeline is really helpful - knowing that you got benefits within two weeks through the regular UI route versus potentially waiting months for Work Sharing enrollment really puts things in perspective. The 60% coverage of lost wages sounds like it would make a real difference during this transition. I'm definitely convinced now that filing a regular UI claim is the way to go rather than trying to force the Work Sharing route when my employer clearly isn't prepared for it. I'm planning to start my claim online today after talking to HR. Even if they somehow do have a Work Sharing approval number (which seems unlikely based on their confusion), I can always adjust later. Better to get the process started and have some financial support coming in than to keep waiting around with that form sitting on my desk! Thanks for sharing your experience - it's exactly what I needed to hear.

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